Northern Ireland won easily on Friday thanks to the Sunderland defender.
Northern Ireland defeated Belarus 2-0 on Friday night, with Sunderland defender Dan Ballard scoring the first goal and winning Man of the Match.
The centre-back played 76 minutes of Friday night’s match before being replaced, and he now has three goals in his previous five international appearances. He made his first appearance for club or country since Sunderland’s 3-2 loss to Plymouth Argyle in mid-September in the match at Windsor Park.
Ballard broke the tie in the 50th minute with a powerful header from a Shea Charles corner, joining teammate Black Cat Trai Hume in a three-man defensive. Following a handball by Kirill Pechenin, Michael O’Neill’s team was granted a penalty shortly after. Dion Charles calmly scored the goal to seal a 2-0 victory. With a victory over Luxembourg on Monday, Northern Ireland, who are now on the verge of promotion from their UEFA Nations League group, might complete the deal.
In his press conference following the game, O’Neill addressed Ballard’s objective, saying: “He’ll be happy with that. Since big Gareth [McAuley] went, we haven’t really replaced the presence in the box, which is something we need. We needed a center-half who can truly make an effect in both boxes, and Jonny [Evans] gave us a physical presence.”
There were other Sunderland players playing internationally on Friday besides Ballard and Hume. In a 0-0 draw with Spain, midfielder Jobe Bellingham earned his England U21s debut. The youth played 68 minutes before being substituted by Lewis Miley, a Newcastle United star. Halfway through the first half, Bellingham nearly scored an assist, but Aston Villa winger Jaden Philogene pushed his clever through pass into the box wide.
Meanwhile, in the first leg of their European Championship play-off double header, Norway U21s fell to Finland 5-1, with Black Cats defender Leo Hjelde suffering a crushing defeat. In Tuesday’s rematch, the 21-year-old received a booking and went down by two goals in the first four minutes, leaving him and his teammates with a mountain to climb.
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